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School Quality Report Has Good News for Rogers Park

Chicago Public Schools released its fifth consecutive School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP) and Rogers Park elementary schools, high schools and charter schools are highly ranked.

The SQRP is the Board of Education’s policy for evaluating school performance and it includes college enrollment, persistence, priority student group growth, and a target test participation rate of 95 percent, according to the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) website. This newer strategy uses a 5-tier rating system.

In the 2018-19 report, five of the Rogers Park schools were K-8, one schools includes grades 6-12, one school was grades 9-12 and one school was K-12. The schools included New Field School, Field School, Kilmer School, Jordan School, Gale Academy, Sullivan High School, Chicago Math and Science Academy (CMSA) and Acero de la Cruz School. There rankings have improved or remained the same since last year.

The CMSA has received a 1+ ranking for the past four years, and it is currently ranked 69th in Illinois by the US News and World Report.

Alderman Joe Moore (49 Ward) released a statement Oct. 29 congratulating the eight schools located within Rogers Park schools for their high rankings; all of the schools received scores of 2+ or higher. There are five rankings in the SQRP system: 1+ is the highest score and 3 is the lowest.

The New Field School has the most improved ranking in Rogers Park in this past year, according to Moore.

“By last year, New Field’s rating had dropped to Level 2,” Moore said. “Under the leadership of its dynamic new principal, Corey Callahan, and an engaged Local School Council, New Field soared back to the coveted Level 1+ rating.”

The SQRP has many purposes, such as showing parents and community members individual schools and district academic success. It also recognizes and identifies high growth schools and helps guide the Board’s decision-making processes around schools actions and procedures.